COMMENT: In the cut-throat world of politics – and doors revolving at breakneck speed – a new poll has “shown that the majority of Portuguese (56.3%) think that Mário Centeno would be better than José Luís Carneiro as leader of the PS”.
This will be a bitter pill for Mr Carneiro who has set out on a massive haul down the EN2 road (738 kms that join the north of the country, in Trás-os-Montes, to the south in the Algarve) to ‘woo’ aficionados to his cause.
His cause is to forge ‘territorial development contracts’ that enable ‘the enhancement of territorial resources’ and ‘the removal of obstacles and asymmetries to development’.
This sounds like a terrible mouthful, but what it means is that Mr Carneiro wants to stay in the driving seat of his party – decimated in legislative elections three months ago – and very possibly reflect as little as possible on this new poll.
Talking to journalists in Viseu yesterday, at the close of his first day on the EN2 route’, he described his vision for “a new approach to regional development and cohesion.
“We need to adopt territorial development contracts with fiscal incentives, able to attract direct foreign investment”, he said, suggesting this would project the north, for example, on multiple levels (economic, social, cultural, etc.)
The PS leader appointed after his predecessor Pedro Nuno Santos led the party to comparative electoral slaughter said that he wants to construct “a model equivalent to the CIM (Intermunicipal Communities) in various territories of the country, corresponding to the five regional coordination and development commissions.
“Viseu will be one of these centres for the establishment of territorial development contracts, seeking to create better economic opportunities, more job opportunities, securing the most skilled jobs we have in the country, particularly for young people, and decent living conditions for those who invest, who create wealth and who want to fulfil their lives in these territories,” he said.
Were people turning cartwheels in eager anticipation? Lusa does not explain. But CM’s ‘poll news’ suggests the jury is probably out. Criticism of PS Socialists often hinges on the number of committees/ commissions they create, without ever really ringing any changes. Former Socialist leader António Costa also travelled the EN2 route in 2019, for very much the same reasons – and here we all are six years on: still in a muddle.
This is where the ‘poll news’ strikes a chord: Mário Centeno, who was whisked through the revolving doors of power in 2020 to exchange the finance ministry for the country’s central bank is described as ‘more than ready’ to be whisked back.
It was Mário Centeno who was the ‘choice’ of Mr Costa for Socialist prime minister when Costa resigned in a complicated ‘scandal’ (that has never been fully explained, or it seems explored) – thus it can be easily appreciated why certain factions of the party still hanker for his leadership.
CM gives the results of its poll today, saying the ‘test of José Luís Carneiro’s leadership will be the municipal elections’ in less than two months time (October 12). These elections will, in fact, be the test of every leader’s leadership – with the coalition government very much on the defensive after the horrors of the last few weeks of wildfires. ND
